What fiction and non-fiction books should I read before starting grad school?

[lele]

I want to read some fiction and non-fiction books about topics related to SLP before starting grad school. I'm hoping it will help me narrow down my interests, and I want to get a chance to dive more deeply into the field before starting grad school. I'm thinking of reading some books by Oliver Sacks (starting with "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat"), but I'm also looking for anything else related to stroke survivors, TBI patients, autism spectrum disorders, reading disorders, anything to do with speech language pathology abroad, language acquisition, bilingual students, or working with kids. What would you recommend?

[katieliz456]

In my acquired/neurogenic disorders class this semester, we had a book club assignment and the professor provided the following list to choose from.  I haven't read all of them, but they are all supposed to be good and are fairly easy reads  

1. Tuesday’s with Morrie, Mitch Albon
2. Always looking Up, Michael J Fox
3. My Stroke of Insight, Jill Bolte Taylor
4. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: A Memoir of Life in Death, Jean-Dominique Bauby
5. The Day Donny Herbert Woke Up, Rich Blake
6. Change in the Weather: Life after Stroke, Mark McEwan
7. In an Instant: A Family's Journey of Love and Healing, Lee Woodruff
8. The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat: And Other Clinical Tales, Oliver Sacks
9. Aging With Grace: What the Nun Study Teaches Us About Leading Longer, Healthier, and More Meaningful Lives, David Snowdon
10. My Year Off: Recovering Life After a Stroke, Robert McCrum
11. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Anne Fadiman
12. One Hundred Names for Love: A Stroke, a Marriage and the Language of Healing, Diane Ackerman
13. My Stroke of Luck, Kirk Douglas
14. What I learned when I almost died: How a Maniac TV Producer Put Down His BlackBerry and Started to Live His Life. Chris Licht
15. The Circle – A Walk with Dementia, Sally Hughes Smith

[csdtoslp]

I'm also looking for more books to read before starting grad school in the fall and will definitely be drawing from this list!
So far I've read Left Neglected (fiction but very applicable to SLP/left neglect) by Lisa Genova and I really enjoyed it. I also read Lisa Genova's Still Alice and it was great, about Alzheimer's. Also related to SLP I read Gabby by Gabrielle Giffords and Mark Kelly and although it was about her whole tragedy I found it inspiring and it mentioned a little about her SLP sessions. My stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor was a short, interesting read about stroke, I'd recommend it. I have started reading Schuyler's Monster (a story written by a father about his daughter who's nonverbal) and I can share more about that once I've finished it, but so far it's an interesting perspective and story.

Edited March 20, 2013 by csdtoslp

[midnight]

Awesome list, katieliz!

 

More recommendations:

 

A Mind of My Own: Memoir of Recovery from Aphasia by Harrianne Mills

 

The Man Who Lost His Language: A Case of Aphasia by Sheila Hale

 

Where Is the Mango Princess? A Journey Back from Brain Injury by Cathy Crimmins

 

The Way I See It by Temple Grandin (She has written many books on living with autism.)

[GandalfTheGrey]

Just Alice, by Lisa Genova

Left Neglected, by Lisa Genova

anything by John Elder Robison

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, by Jean-Dominique Bauby

What's that Pig Outdoors?, by Henry Kisor

Wonder, by R. J. Palacio

If you have not seen the documentary Babies, it will show you child development in the first year of life and is ADORABLE.

Watch the Big Bang Theory and take notes on the negative stereotypes they promote about people with communication disorders and count the number of times someone with a communication disorder gets made fun of.

The following are powerful and short, but not light reading:

Avery's Bucket List: a blog about the life of a baby girl with spinal muscular atrophy: http://averycan.blogspot.com/

The Aquarium: A child's isolating illness: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/06/13/110613fa_fact_hemon

I also like going to the stroke/TBI section of the library (just look up the call number of a book about stroke, like Jill Bolte Taylor's "My Stroke of Insight", and that will get you to the right section), and just reading bits and pieces of the books I find there.

[lele]

Thanks for these lists! I'm super excited to get started I've seen Jill Bolte Taylor's ted talk, which is one of the most captivating online talks I've ever seen.

[stinkerbell1189]

Thanks to all for the great suggestions!

 

For those of you interested in AAC, be sure to check out Roger Ebert's TEDTalk: http://www.ted.com/talks/roger_ebert_remaking_my_voice.html

[maggiebSLP]

On the topic of Oliver Sacks, I definitely recommend Seeing Voices and Musicophilia, especially for those also interested in audiology.

[Inny]

Great topic! 

 

My additions to the list: 

The Brain that Changes Itself by Norman Doidge

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon

[katieliz456]

yes, Left Neglected is great, too! i've been meaning to read Still Alice  but never got around to it, so thank you for the reminder!!

[slpdream]

Love this topic! I'm always looking for a good book. Looks like any suggestions I could have added off the top of my head have already been added though. I did a book review on Still Alice in undergrad. It is a good read...hope you like it Mocha.

[tlsstc]

I have not read these, but they are on my list!

 

Bad Animals: A Father's Accidental Education in Autism, Joel Yanofsky

Shouting Won't Help: Why I and 50 million Other Americans Can't Hear You, Katherine Bouton

 

I read Jenny McCarthy's book Louder Than Words.  I know it's controversial but it's a quick read and I think a lot of parents probably read it.

[slpfuture!!]

Thanks for this list! So glad I found this topic. Can't wait to read up.

[illini09]

House Rules by Jodi Picoult. 

 

It's about a boy with Asperger's syndrome. SUCH a good book

[Es El Pee!]

Twilight Children by Torey Hayden.  Amazing book!

[Delete Account]

I love this topic! I'm looking at reviews for books mentioned. I can't wait to start reading. Thanks to all who contributed!

[tlsstc]

House Rules by Jodi Picoult. 

 

It's about a boy with Asperger's syndrome. SUCH a good book

Ohh I love all of her books.  Thanks for the suggestion!